I walked out of my workplace on Wednesday

Beware of being offered more pay to continue working at those same levels. Doing so might indicate to your company that you are playing a game for more compensation. Instead for the sake of your physical and mental health, demand lower work at an acceptable to you levels while giving them a grace period to figure out how to do so.
 
Bretrick said:
Before I left I spoke to HR to tell them why. They listened attentively and told me to take a ten day break - with pay.
I walked out because I am extremely overworked - what with the lack of workers. I am doing the work of 3.
I am in heavy industry and the work is relentless, heavy and dangerous.
Plus I am training two new workers who know nothing about the industry.
Plus there are a couple of workers who treat me like crap.
I had enough, that is why I walked out.
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Good for you!
 
Bretrick said:
Yes. I have 10 days off, paid.
If nothing changes for the better then I will look for work elsewhere.
I have told them that.
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I predict that nothing is going to change in this job. It hasn't changed so far. You did the right thing. At the same time, is there an opportunity to grow in this company? If they're milking you and it's a risky job, and there's no opportunity for promotion, I would get out and find something better. Use these 10 days to see what other opportunities there are. I've also left a few jobs that were not good for me. Never looked back, although some of them kept calling me to go back. Going back may not improve your situation. Can you live with that? Or will it anger you again? Also, if you haven't done so already, check your blood pressure in case of the stress.
 
Bretrick said:
Before I left I spoke to HR to tell them why. They listened attentively and told me to take a ten day break - with pay.
I walked out because I am extremely overworked - what with the lack of workers. I am doing the work of 3.
I am in heavy industry and the work is relentless, heavy and dangerous.
Plus I am training two new workers who know nothing about the industry.
Plus there are a couple of workers who treat me like crap.
I had enough, that is why I walked out.
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Good for you. Life is short. There is a life beyond that sort of work. As my late wife used to love to say, "Things happen for a reason." Don't look back; look forward.
 
Bretrick said:
I walked out because I am extremely overworked - what with the lack of workers. I am doing the work of 3.
I am in heavy industry and the work is relentless, heavy and dangerous.
Plus I am training two new workers who know nothing about the industry.
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Can't say as I blame you, having inexperienced co-workers can get you hurt.

What line of work do you do, if I may ask?
 
Nathan said:
What line of work do you do, if I may ask?
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In my particular job, I move very large steel plates weighing up to 8 tons.
Loading onto and off of laser cutting machines. I use oxy/acetylene cutting equipment.
Hot/heavy/dangerous work. Everything has to be done very carefully because of the extreme weights. One wrong move/equipment failure could lead to severe injury or death.
 
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palides2021 said:
Going back may not improve your situation. Can you live with that? Or will it anger you again? Also, if you haven't done so already, check your blood pressure in case of the stress.
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I do think I have anxiety, my mouth is has been constantly dry for a few months now. A symptom, I believe.
If things do not change for the better then I will definitely look for work elsewhere.
 
David777 said:
Beware of being offered more pay to continue working at those same levels. Doing so might indicate to your company that you are playing a game for more compensation. Instead for the sake of your physical and mental health, demand lower work at an acceptable to you levels while giving them a grace period to figure out how to do so.
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When I return I will play it slowly and make sure that the same situation does not arise again.
I know when I walked out they did source two workers from their other branch to cover what I was doing.
Hopefully the two new guys I was training have advanced enough to not have to be watched so vigilantly
 
Bretrick said:
I know when I walked out they did source two workers from their other branch to cover what I was doing.
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That statement really says it all. I hope management realizes how close they came to losing, most likely, their best worker. Please take care of yourself and relax during this time off. Deep, slow breathing, with closed eyes is a great stress reliever.
 
www.amwu.org.au

www.facebook.com/TheAMWU/

www.twitter.com/theamwu?lang=en

www.megaphone.org.au/partnerships/australian-manufacturing-workers-union-national

www.signalhire.com/companies/australian-manufacturing-workers-union/employees

https://roc.gov.au/find-a-registered-organisation/amwu

https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/de...an_manufacturing_and_workers_union_actnsw.pdf

https://businessnews.com.au/Company/Australian-Manufacturing-Workers-Union-0

https://az.ezilon.com/australia/business/manufacturing/index.shtml

https://australianmanufacturing.com.au/advanced-manufacturings-top-100-manufacturers-in-australia/

https://quora.com/When-are-new-hires-paid-more-than-long-standing-employees-with-the-same-skill-set

https://articles.bplans.com/are-you-treating-your-long-term-employees-well/

www.fortune.com/2019/12/09/companies-not-giving-raises-but-hiring-new-employees-high-paying-jobs/

www.teamblind.com/blog/index.php/2021/12/09/why-new-hires-make-more-money-existing-employees/

www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/article-help-ive-discovered-that-a-new-employee-is-making-more-than-i-am/

www.scu.edu/government-ethics/resources/what-is-government-ethics/favoritism-cronyism-and-nepotism/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Manufacturing_Workers_Union

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Industry_in_Australia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Manufacturing_companies_of_Australia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Manufacturing_in_Australia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronyism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepotism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-group_favoritism





The infamous fill in the____________ Pop-Culture spoof video

 
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Back in my working days when the pressure became too much, I would take those stress tab vitamin b supplements that here in the US you can buy over the counter, and they helped me a lot. It happened to me, and I saw it happen to a lot of men who were in their 50, s. It is like we go through that time of life when go through the man physical changes that affect our viewpoints and quality of life. I would help other men by explaining that it happens to all of us. I would suggest the vitamin stress tabs to them and some started taking then to help coping with the situations. Also, I saw a doctor several times and told him what was going on and he would prescribe a serotonin medication that helped greatly with being able to cope with those demanding situations. I would take them for a period of time about three to six months and then ween myself off of them through the doctor's advice and see how long I did not have to take them anymore for the pressures at work. Then as time went by and I felt I needed them again I would tell the doctor and I would go through prescription cycle again. Letting human resources and management know that you are seeking medical attention for what you are going through could be beneficial for you also.
 
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RobinWren said:
Do they "value you" or do they just need a body? I worked in healthcare and many of us had the same thought, they needed a body.
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I am sure they value me because I do the job well.
Sure, I am not irreplaceable but I doubt that they have discussed removing me.
I received a gift of a large fresh fruit box delivered to my door yesterday. A kind gesture from work. They stated they value me as a friend and workmate and wishing me well in my time off.
So, good vibes all round.
 
@Bretrick I know precisely what you mean about doing the work of 3 people. I was not in heavy industry, but I was with a huge hospitality company that had the highest output per employee in that particular industry. That sounded great to stockholders but was just a nicer way of saying they overworked their staff, used people and spit them out.

I was in sales, and I always knew I was only as valuable to the company as my last quarter. So, they had no loyalty to me and, although I worked my ass off, I felt no loyalty to them either. So, when they eliminated my job during Covid, and those of another 50% of the staff, I wasn't surprised or sad. If I ever get back into the industry as a consultant I will work for a smaller, caring company... not a big publicly traded money machine.

Do consider all your options. I left another company in 2000 after 15 years because it was just no longer fulfilling. I went through a bit of a rough patch with a startup company but was later hired into what became my dream job for many years.
 
Lawrence said:
Back in my working days when the pressure became too much, I would take those stress tab vitamin b supplements that here in the US you can buy over the counter, and they helped me a lot. It happened to me, and I saw it happen to a lot of men who were in their 50, s. It is like we go through that time of life when go through the man physical changes that affect our viewpoints and quality of life. I would help other men by explaining that it happens to all of us. I would suggest the vitamin stress tabs to them and some started taking then to help coping with the situations. Also, I saw a doctor several times and told him what was going on and he would prescribe a serotonin medication that helped greatly with being able to cope with those demanding situations. I would take them for a period of time about three to six months and then ween myself off of them through the doctor's advice and see how long I did not have to take them anymore for the pressures at work. Then as time went by and I felt I needed them again I would tell the doctor and I would go through prescription cycle again. Letting human resources and management know that you are seeking medical attention for what you are going through could be beneficial for you also.
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Before I walked out I spoke for an hour to HR and they were very understanding, suggesting and recommending I take 10 days off -paid - not vacation time.
I also went to my GP and told him all about it.
I decided medication was not required at this time and I will see how I progress without work stress for 10 days.
 
dseag2 said:
@Bretrick I know precisely what you mean about doing the work of 3 people. I was not in heavy industry, but I was with a huge hospitality company that had the highest output per employee in that particular industry. That sounded great to stockholders but was just a nicer way of saying they overworked their staff, used people and spit them out.

I was in sales, and I always knew I was only as valuable to the company as my last quarter. So, they had no loyalty to me and, although I worked my ass off, I felt no loyalty to them either. So, when they eliminated my job during Covid, and those of another 50% of the staff, I wasn't surprised or sad. If I ever get back into the industry as a consultant I will work for a smaller, caring company... not a big publicly traded money machine.

Do consider all your options. I left another company in 2000 after 15 years because it was just no longer fulfilling. I went through a bit of a rough patch with a startup company but was later hired into what became my dream job for many years.
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I am considering my options. There are plenty of jobs available that I am skilled in and would have no trouble being employed.
I will go back after my break and see how I cope.
 
Bretrick said:
I am sure they value me because I do the job well.
Sure, I am not irreplaceable but I doubt that they have discussed removing me.
I received a gift of a large fresh fruit box delivered to my door yesterday. A kind gesture from work. They stated they value me as a friend and workmate and wishing me well in my time off.
So, good vibes all round.
Click to expand...
The business has reacted so positively to you, so nice to hear such a positive take on your situation. Like so many businesses the world over they are suffering from lack of staff and your job sounds specialized so it will be even harder to find staff. Good luck
 

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